FL Natural Heritage Botanist

The Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) at Florida State University is looking for a mid-level botanist to work on an array of applied research projects supporting land management and conservation in Florida. Field work will include vegetation sampling, rare or invasive plant surveys and natural community delineation (GIS mapping). Work will be conducted on conservation lands from the Keys to the Panhandle. Time will be split between field and office time but will involve a considerable number of long field days in often challenging conditions – extreme temperatures, humidity, sun, biting insects, dense vegetation.  Candidates must be comfortable working in small groups, or sometimes alone, in areas with sporadic cell service, navigating to field sites through difficult terrain, and walking long distances. The position requires extensive travel (up to 90% for some periods) and field work in remote locations across Florida throughout the year.
Current FNAI projects that the candidate may assist with include:

• Rare plant surveys
• Natural community (ecosystem/vegetative community) mapping
• Invasive plant surveys, management planning and evaluation of treatment efficacy
• Vegetation monitoring plot data collection to inform land management

ABOUT FNAI:The Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) is Florida’s Natural Heritage Program and state member of the NatureServe network.  We are housed within the Florida Resources and Environmental Analysis Center at Florida State University.  As the Florida Heritage Program, one of our primary responsibilities is maintaining a spatial database of information on Florida’s rarest species and conservation lands but we also work on an array of applied research projects to inform conservation and land management decisions making with funding provided by state and federal agency partners.  Our office is off campus in Midtown which is centrally located near shops, restaurants, and historic neighborhoods.  The larger Tallahassee region offers many outdoor recreation opportunities in the nearby Apalachicola National Forest and a number of coastal parks and refuges within a short drive from town. 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Identify plants, collect data on vegetative structure and composition, and distinguish vegetative communities using standard field protocols
• Process field data and prepare maps using ArcGIS, analyze spatial and tabular data, and prepare written documents on findings suitable for agency reports or publications
• Participate in meetings with co-workers, and agency partners as necessary to coordinate project activities and present results as required by the project.
• Attend meetings and workshops relevant to performance of position.
• Assist in the completion of technical reports and/or manuscripts upon project completion.

 QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in botany or biological sciences (graduate degree preferred)
• Minimum of 6 months (two years or more preferred) full-time experience collecting botanical field data.
• Experience identifying plants using taxonomic keys and extensive knowledge of the flora of the southeastern US, preferably Florida.
• Good organizational skills and meticulous attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and under pressure of deadlines and to provide written responses in a timely manner.
• Ability to communicate well in person and in writing.
• Ability to work well with FNAI staff scientists and other university or agency partners.
• A commitment to conducting professional conservation work and delivering high quality products.
• Excellent physical condition and the ability to conduct rigorous field work in adverse conditions.
• Willingness to travel frequently during the workweek (potentially as much as 90% for some periods), drive long distances, and work long days (averaging 10 hrs.). Field trips are generally Monday – Thursday and require overnight stays in hotels or remote camping.
• A commitment to FNAI’s conservation goals.
• Experience with personal computers, databases, GPS, and GIS.

PREFERRED:

• Experience with remote sensing, natural community and habitat interpretation from aerial photographs and satellite imagery.
• Experience or familiarity with ArcGIS and database management software.
• Experience/interest in primitive camping (camping on site during the cooler months allows FNAI staff to make good use of daylight in areas where hotels are far away)
• Experience using R for data analysis.

CONSIDERATIONS:This position requires successful completion of a criminal history background check. CONTACT INFO:For questions, or more information, contact Frank Price, FNAI Director, at fprice@fnai.fsu.edu  or Gwen Iacona, FNAI Research Scientist, at giacona@fnai.fsu.edu.